The invention relates to a roller bearing for a shaft that has a cylindrical peripheral surface, the bearing comprising a race to be fitted onto the shaft, and roller bodies arranged to roll on the race.
The term “shaft” as used herein relates generally to a rotatable member that has a cylindrical peripheral surface that is surrounded by the race of the roller bearing.
Typically, the roller bearing has, in addition to the race fitted on the shaft, an outer race that forms, with the inner race, an annular gap in which the roller bodies are accommodated such that they roll on the outer peripheral surface of the inner race and on the inner peripheral surface of the outer race.
The races of such roller bearings have commonly been manufactured by machining, e.g. milling a metal blank. DE 10 2004 048 172 A1 discloses a method of manufacturing a race for a roller bearing from a deep-drawn metal sleeve without machining.
In order for the race to be in correct fitting engagement with the shaft, both the shaft and the race must have only small dimensional tolerances.